Nicole and Jonas Maines ’15 Featured in Latest “Americans Who Tell The Truth” Portrait

Robert Shetterly recently unveiled the newest addition to his “Americans Who Tell The Truth” (AWTT) series: a portrait of Nicole and Jonas Maines ’15.

In his opening remarks, Robert said that “Nicole and Jonas’s courage, commitment, and outspokenness made them perfect models for the kind of people—especially young people—that I want to paint and present as models of courageous citizenship.”

Nicole said that she was honored to have been painted by Shetterly and included in his collection. “It is so fitting to have the portrait unveiled at Waynflete,” she said, “not only because the school is part of our story, but because the people at Waynflete have helped us so much on our journey.”

Jonas thanked Waynflete for “not only giving us a place where we could be ourselves, but for being a place that taught us the importance of love and respect and how to overcome hate and ignorance.”

“The opposite of courage is not cowardice—it is conformity,” said Robert, quoting Texas writer Jim Hightower in closing. “One of the most important roles that educators can play is to help young people become their true selves and not be afraid to go wherever that might lead.”

The Maines portrait has already been requested for two upcoming AWTT programs including a show in North Carolina where state government is engaged in a dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice over transgender rights.